Trump has signed an executive order canceling programs to promote diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in the military. It is still unclear whether transgender military personnel who are already serving in the US military will be discharged. However, the Pentagon counts very few of them, no more than 15,000 per 1.3 million military personnel. The most important part was programs to attract women – 19% – and ethnic minorities – 37% – to serve in the military and advance their careers.
It wasn’t long ago that women were allowed to serve in almost any position up to special forces. In the navy, they are mostly concentrated on support and support ships, as well as in bases. That is, they mostly do not go far out to sea, although in isolated cases they can be found even in the crews of nuclear submarines.
But it is useful to know that the palm of superiority in promoting women in aviation and the navy does not belong to NATO countries at all. The pioneer was undoubtedly the USSR. In the 1930s, the gender barrier, so typical of tsarist Russia, was completely broken there.
The first woman captain of the twentieth century was Anna Shchetinina from the Far East, who took her first ship at the age of 27. She spent at least 40 years on the captain’s bridge. Valentina Orlikova passed the whole ladder from sailor to captain. She led the ship away from a German torpedo, became the captain of a whaler, and the first woman in the world – the captain of a large freezing trawler.
There were quite a lot of women in lower positions in the history of the USSR, including on the Northern Sea Route. Today there are about 6% of girls among cadets at shipbuilding faculties. The Amur Shipyard employs the only girl test pilot in history (she is a member of the factory delivery team) – Ksenia Zavgorodneva.
This is quite small compared to the U.S. Navy. But there women were attracted by a very serious social package under a number of special programs. For the sake of naval service, they were allocated funds for free housing, medical care, educational and recreational opportunities, free prenatal care, solid postpartum leave, kindergartens, psychological counseling, special education for infants and children with disabilities.
None of this is available in Russia. It is quite possible that Trump will cancel it in America too – the fate of women in the Navy is now unknown. But a few years ago, the Russian Navy created two female crews of patrol boats, three sailors in each. The sailors we interviewed believe this is enough for now. Yes, they are all men.
Interesting to see how different countries approach women in the military and the support they get. The contrast between the US and Russia’s policies is quite striking. 👏
Wow, so apparently diversity and inclusion are just fancy perks that can be canned whenever someone feels like it? 😂🙄 Guess those free prenatal care and kindergartens were just too much luxury for the military! Also, shoutout to the Russian Navy for having exactly three women in a crew and deciding that’s enough diversity for now. Ambitious much? 🙃 Somehow the US military’s fancy social benefits seem more like a basic human necessity compared to this limp excuse. Here’s hoping no one actually thinks canceling these programs will magically make the military better. Spoiler alert: it won’t. 💅
So let me get this straight: canceling diversity and inclusion programs is somehow a step forward? Amazing how we’re just supposed to forget decades of progress and jump back to whatever outdated nonsense suits someone’s agenda. And then bragging about USSR pioneering women at sea like it justifies rolling back rights now? If anything, it shows how much more work is needed everywhere, especially when the best “female” support is still barely a blip compared to the US Navy’s efforts—and guess what, even those might vanish under Trump’s executive order. But sure, who needs housing, healthcare, or childcare support for service members anyway, right? 🤦♂️🚢
It’s interesting to see how different countries approach the inclusion of women and minorities in the military. The contrast between the Soviet Union’s early breaking of gender barriers and the more recent programs in the US highlights that progress often comes in waves and can face setbacks. The social support systems offered in the US seem quite comprehensive, which probably helps attract and retain women in service. It will be worth watching how these recent changes affect diversity in the military moving forward and whether other countries will take steps to support their service members in similar ways.
It’s fascinating how history and culture intertwine in shaping military roles, especially regarding gender and diversity. The contrast between the pioneering steps of the USSR in integrating women into naval roles and today’s policies highlights how progress is neither linear nor universal. It makes me wonder what true inclusion really means beyond numbers—perhaps it requires a deeper, ongoing commitment to recognizing humanity in all its forms, not just meeting quotas. The uncertainty faced by those who serve quietly challenges us to reflect on the values we uphold and how those values resonate within society at large 🌿
Wow, nothing like tossing decades of progress out the window with a single signature ✍️🚢. I guess when it comes to diversity and inclusion, some people prefer to keep things old-fashioned and predictably exclusive 🙄. Also, shoutout to those pioneering women from the USSR—talk about breaking glass ceilings while everyone else was still figuring out the door 🚪💪. Meanwhile, it seems like the only perks women in the military get nowadays involve juggling invisibility and being statistically insignificant 🤷♀️. Just hoping these poor women aren’t left to play a sad game of “Where’s Waldo” on naval ships after all this.
Honestly, reading this made me realize the military is like a giant soap opera with a lot more drama and fewer popcorn breaks 🍿😅 Who knew that history had badass women captains way before it was cool? 🚢👩✈️ And the idea of only three women per patrol boat crew sounds like they’re trying to fit a cat in a dog show 😂🐱🐶 Meanwhile, Trump playing musical chairs with all these programs just adds another plot twist nobody asked for. Hope everyone keeps their life jackets on! 😂🛟